Ballmer questioned on Apple, Yahoo, Google
updated 11:20 am EST, Fri March 7, 2008
Ballmer questioned
Guy Kawasaki recently sat down with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to talk about the Yahoo buyout offer, as well as the company's competition with Google and Apple. According to eWeek, Kawasaki wondered if Ballmer felt that Apple was like a little dog, biting at his heels that he had to kick away every day. Ballmer retorted that he did not, saying that both Apple and Microsoft do a "pretty good job", but ultimately, Microsoft has more of a "footprint" than Apple does.
Responding to Kawasaki's question of "Why buy Yahoo?", Ballmer said that Microsoft is committed to being a very serious player in the world of search and advertising standards. Purchasing Yahoo would give Microsoft "critical mass" in those particular areas.
"We could have started going earlier on search and search-related advertising, and Yahoo is important to us in that space as you need critical mass there," Ballmer said, recognizing Microsoft's weaknesses. Ballmer clarified that if the acquisition went through, there would not be a duplication of services – Microsoft would consolidate to one search engine and one advertising service.
Kawasaki prodded Ballmer, asking if he threw darts at the pictures of the Google founders, to which he quickly responded that he did not. Ballmer is convinced that Google is not a threat to Microsoft's home, server, and enterprise business.
well...
03/07, 12:14pm reply
if there's anyone who knows something about a big footprint, i would be Ballmer.
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001
Thanks for the memories!
03/07, 12:47pm reply
"Ballmer is convinced that Google is not a threat to Microsoft's home, server, and enterprise business."
LOL! He's even more clueless than I thought. MS deosn't even offer a product that comes close to what Google has built, and even if they did it would cost an arm and a leg to license.
Have a nice ride down the slope to irrelevance!
Mixotic
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Joined: Apr 2005
IE searches
03/07, 12:59pm reply
Since for years IE would default to searching for the macnn.com at search msn when I typed it instead of just coming here, it seems that even when they do things to impede the users to boost themselves they've still failed. I don't see why they can't manage to do this with their own search engine already.
JackWebb
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Joined: Aug 2007
so basically
03/07, 01:54pm reply
he's saying "we're idiots, we don't know the future but we copy and steal really really well and even when we do fall behind or can't compete with better stuff we have the deep pockets to buy our way into it, we're committed to buying the web!"
nat
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Joined: Mar 2002
breaking the law
03/07, 02:09pm reply
No, Apple does a very good job and Microsoft succeeds by breaking the law.
bhuot
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Joined: Nov 2003
go away troll
03/07, 02:10pm reply
well... "if there's anyone who knows something about a big footprint, i would be Ballmer."
If there is anyone that would know what being a troll like, it would be testudo. Go away, troll.
bhuot
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Joined: Nov 2003
Balmer=sucks
03/07, 02:30pm reply
This dope doesn't have an ounce of computing acumen in him. He is a CEO whose style mostly resembles a bad used car salesman. At least he has the good sense not to wear a toupee.
Monde
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Joined: Jan 2004
re: go away troll
03/07, 04:38pm reply
Hey, that was testudo's most pro-Apple comment ever. You should be applauding him for coming round to the dark side.
coldfusion1970
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Joined: Nov 2004
footprints, allright
03/07, 04:53pm reply
MS does leave a big footprint - like when you walk on the carpet after stepping in dog c***. Everyone notices, but it stinks and it's very hard to clean up after.
Ballmer is probably the stupidest person running a company in the entire world. And dammit, he's rich too.
Doofuses.
robttwo
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Joined: Nov 2005
yeah right!
03/07, 05:01pm reply
"there would not be a duplication of services – Microsoft would consolidate to one search engine and one advertising service" - Just like there was no "duplication" of OSes when MS copied the Mac OS, and there was no "Duplication" of browsers when MS copied Netscape, and there was no duplication of "Gadgets" when MS copied "Widgets", and again later there was no "duplication" of user interfaces when MS copied "Aqua", Spotlight etc.
- When MS consolidates, progress halts.
"If there's anyone who knows something about a big footprint, i would be Ballmer." LOL!
bloggerblog
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